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The Sporting Life – Enrique “Kiké” Hernandez

The 2015 Dodgers season came to an abrupt end on Thursday night when the club lost to the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium to conclude a thrilling five-game playoff series.

Dodgers infielder/outfielder Enrique “Kiké” Hernandez on Saturday, meanwhile, took in his first Kings game at STAPLES Center after concluding his first season with the Dodgers. He answered these questions – including one about the banana rally -- from LAKings.com as part of this edition of The Sporting Life.

LAKings.com: What brought you to the game tonight and have you ever been to a Kings game before?

Kiké Hernandez: “No, this is my first game. I’m here for a few weeks until I go home and I saw that there was a Kings game. I live here, downtown, so I was like ‘Why not go to my first hockey game ever?’”

LAKings.com: Can you ice skate?

Hernandez: “I can. I’ve done it a few times. I’m not the best but I can do it.”

LAKings.com: Do you like to watch or play any other sports besides baseball?

Hernandez: “I really don’t watch anything else but I played volleyball growing up until high school and that was it. I was really bad at basketball and soccer so I never even tried that. Also we don’t have hockey in Puerto Rico.”

LAKings.com: Have you ever been to STAPLES Center before for any kind of event?

Hernandez: “This is my first experience here.”

LAKings.com: What do you respect most about hockey players and these Kings players in particular?

Hernandez: “It’s a really physical game. I can’t even keep up with the puck. The fact that they’re skating and doing it on ice takes a lot of talent. We think that we’re pretty athletic because we play baseball and can hit a 95 mile per hour fastball. But these guys are skating on ice and keeping up with a puck that you can’t even see. It’s pretty cool.”

LAKings.com: Looking back now, what are your thoughts on the 2015 Dodgers season and the future of your team?

Hernandez: “In terms of the future I think we’re in good hands. We have a team that’s young enough to be good for a long time. When it comes to the season, it was a pretty disappointing season because we’re the Dodgers. We don’t expect anything less than a World Championship. We had the team to do it and we didn’t do it so it was a disappointing season for us.”

LAKings.com: And on a fun note, how did the idea of the rally banana emerge into a fan favorite?

Hernandez: “It was kind of an accident. It started off as a joke in the dugout and the cameras picked up on it and it became a fan favorite. I actually got an endorsement deal because of it.”